garnish 1 of 2

garnish

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word garnish different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of garnish are adorn, beautify, deck, decorate, embellish, and ornament. While all these words mean "to enhance the appearance of something by adding something unessential," garnish suggests decorating with a small final touch and is used especially in referring to the serving of food.

an entrée garnished with parsley

Where would adorn be a reasonable alternative to garnish?

In some situations, the words adorn and garnish are roughly equivalent. However, adorn implies an enhancing by something beautiful in itself.

a diamond necklace adorned her neck

How are the words beautify and embellish related as synonyms of garnish?

Beautify adds to embellish a suggestion of counterbalancing plainness or ugliness.

will beautify the grounds with flower beds

When can deck be used instead of garnish?

The synonyms deck and garnish are sometimes interchangeable, but deck implies the addition of something that contributes to gaiety, splendor, or showiness.

a house all decked out for Christmas

When is decorate a more appropriate choice than garnish?

While in some cases nearly identical to garnish, decorate suggests relieving plainness or monotony by adding beauty of color or design.

decorate a birthday cake

When is it sensible to use embellish instead of garnish?

The words embellish and garnish can be used in similar contexts, but embellish often stresses the adding of superfluous or adventitious ornament.

embellish a page with floral borders

How do ornament and embellish relate to one another, in the sense of garnish?

Both ornament and embellish imply the adding of something extraneous, ornament stressing the heightening or setting off of the original.

a white house ornamented with green shutters

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of garnish
Noun
Strain up into a coupe or cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon peel. Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 31 May 2025 To create the garnish, pierce a small hole in the top of the tomato and insert the stem of the basil leaf like a flag. Claudia Alarcón, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
Verb
Here's what to know about the potential repercussions of defaulting on student debt, including when your wages can be garnished. Alain Sherter, CBS News, 21 May 2025 For starters, borrowers who are in default may have wages, tax returns and Social Security payments garnished. Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 20 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for garnish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for garnish
Noun
  • The New York Times was again amazed at the floral decorations.
    Elise Taylor, Vogue, 7 July 2025
  • For his actions, Brewer, 79, was awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest military decoration.
    Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2025
Verb
  • Amazon Basics Fluted Ceramic Round Planter This early Prime Day deal is perfect for decorating your outdoor table with lush greenery and flowers.
    Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 5 July 2025
  • His striking work, Protest, depicts the bloodshed of Sri Lanka’s long civil war, using books that are charred or rendered illegible, often decorated with symbolic or figurative objects, like toy-soldier figurines marching across a soiled page.
    Thessaly La Force, Travel + Leisure, 4 July 2025
Noun
  • Their handbags would be architectural in shape, sleek and spare of overwrought ornamentation.
    Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2025
  • The Raw Edition from Copenhagen Distillery is a clear statement of intent, avoiding ornamentation and putting instead process and material at the forefront.
    Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025
Verb
  • Roth will spend the next week rehearsing, but has arrived at our meeting dressed très chic in a Dries Van Noten ivory top with sculptural pleating, a black straight skirt and pointed heels from Saint Laurent, and a small bag adorned with a Claude Lalanne bronze flower.
    Amy Verner, Vogue, 1 July 2025
  • The pop-up, located on the ground floor, will offer several customization services, where clients can choose to have accessories adorned with lucky symbols such as stars, bees and shamrocks.
    Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 1 July 2025
Noun
  • Along with a glimmering Christmas display of ornaments and decorations, the Guamans have collections of garden and holiday gnomes.
    Emily M. Olson, Hartford Courant, 19 June 2025
  • The eponymous brand founder and creative director, Temple St. Clair, creates pieces and designs that reflect her passion for the history of jewelry and gold — with the traditions of personal ornaments and storytelling at the heart of her brand ethos.
    Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • That would open up the possibility of garnishment, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.
    Chris Morris, Fortune, 24 June 2025
  • So people who are facing a smaller federal benefit as a result of garnishment are likely in a panic, said Nancy Nierman, assistant director of the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program in New York.
    Annie Nova, CNBC, 1 June 2025
Noun
  • Add on top a bottle design that, rather than falling into the cliché of having gem-like adornments, had Bulgari referencing its DNA with subtle sophistication via essential lines inspired by Roman columns and recalling a person’s neckline.
    Sandra Salibian, Footwear News, 17 June 2025
  • Aimee Lou Wood Aimee Lou Wood wears a complicated shorts suit with Hue tights and floral adornments on her heels.
    Brendan Le, People.com, 6 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Garnish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/garnish. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.

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